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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25682479">Less Professional</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/delaclaeden/pseuds/delaclaeden'>delaclaeden</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Action, Bottom Levi (Shingeki no Kyojin), Canon Universe, Choking, Drama, Drunk Sex, Kinky, Light Sadism, M/M, Morning After, Morning Sex, Plotty, Rough Sex, Sexual Tension, Some Plot, Top Erwin Smith</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-08-03</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-08-03</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-05 06:00:53</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Explicit</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>14,055</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25682479</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/delaclaeden/pseuds/delaclaeden</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Erwin and Levi are two of the most esteemed members of the survey corps and everyone knows it. Levi is so fixated on work all the time and Erwin can't remember the last time he'd seen him chill out for just a moment, which has made him become desperate to reach him in a way that isn't related to their jobs as the commander and captain.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Levi/Erwin Smith</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>6</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>133</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Less Professional</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>hi! this is literally the first fanfic i have ever written so like ... whew<br/>quarantine has had me geeking and reverting back to when i was a die hard SNK fan back when I was in middle school in 2013-2014 and i just recently caught up with seasons 2 &amp; 3 over the summer for some nostalgia and figured i'd write something before heading back to college in a few weeks :-)<br/>not sure if this is too long or if it would have been better split into chapters? don't know don't care. this took forever to write because GUESS who was halfway through editing and closed the tab &lt;3 <br/>this has a lot of plot at the beginning but i know what you freaks are here for dw we get there eventually</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Each and every member of the survey corps had to ride out beyond the wall with the expectation that it would be their last day on earth. Without this mentality, they would be incapable of carrying the charisma that led them straight into battle, the belief that the fate of humanity rested upon their shoulders and at the tips of their blades. Some perceived this as a great honor, others as a heavy burden. Those who were selfish and only concerned with their own lives were unable to commit themselves to the cause that the survey corps were devoted to. A specific kind of leader was required who had the ability to light a fire within the hearts of those around them, granting them with a willingness to charge head first in the direction of their untimely demise.</p><p>That leader rode through the streets of the town in eerie silence as he returned to the wall, followed by a group of soldiers that was dismally smaller group than the one he had left with earlier that day.</p><p>The crowd of townspeople were quickly able to recognize that the mission had been a tragic and unprecedented defeat for the survey corps. Cheers in response to the initial sighting of the soldiers from a distance gradually subsided into concerned murmurs as the sparse cluster trudged silently along towards the survey corps headquarters on horseback.</p><p>Days like this were not uncommon for the survey corps. The upbeat and determined energy that they always managed to carry with them on their missions into the titan forests of wall Maria was often squashed upon their return. As the small number of soldiers passed through the streets, a wave of dismay washed over the onlooking townspeople who had gathered to see them upon return. These people were not soldiers; they were trapped animals. They lived in fear, relying on the small victories followed by a mission that the soldiers considered successful for a sense of security and hope. Although it seemed hopeless at times, the survey corps kept their heads held high as they continued to convince themselves that this was all worth it, and that they were doing the right thing.</p><hr/><p>Later on, the commander of the operation that had gone so miserably wrong sat at the desk in office far after the sun had sunken beneath the horizon. His elbows were rested on the sturdy wooden surface as he placed his forehead in his palms, knuckles white as he ran his fingers through his own blonde hair. He had likely been off into space for over an hour, attempting to make sense of what could have possibly gone wrong earlier that day. Erwin Smith was used to things like this happening. The night following a mission that involved contact with the titans either consisted of long hours in the dining room where all of the soldiers would drink, eat and laugh together into the middle of the night, thankful that they would be able to go to sleep that night and wake up again the following morning knowing they were still surrounded by those they had grown to care for to during their time in the military...</p><p>Or nights like these.</p><p>Everyone had quickly disparaged into their own grief upon their return to HQ. Some would cry over the loss of a close accomplice, others would console, others would trudge to their rooms where they dwelled upon their own sadness in silence and solidarity. Erwin would retreat to his office and retrace where the plan he and his fellow commanding officers had conjured up earlier in the week could have possibly gone awry.</p><p>"You know, this is a pretty toxic habit you have, Smith."</p><p>Erwin blinked a couple of times, clearing his vision and snapping back to reality as he looked up to see two figures standing in the doorway of his office. The first figure took a few steps over to him, the moonlight seeping through the window reflecting off of their rectangular glasses as they set a small cup of hot tea down in front of him. A soft and genuine smile crossed Hanji's face as they stood before the commander, who couldn't help but smile back for a brief moment.</p><p>"You're right... I should head to sleep. I have to swear in a fuck ton of new recruits tomorrow." Before he could rise from his position where he was seated at his desk, Erwin glanced past Hanji at the second individual, still leaning against the doorway with his own cup of tea secured in his hands. "You needed moral support to convince me to go to bed?" Erwin's comment was directed at Hanji and coupled with a breath of laughter, yet he did not break eye contact with the dark-haired man who hadn't yet spoken a word to him.</p><p>Levi Ackerman was one of the most highly-esteemed squad captains in the survey corps. He was well known for being one of the most skilled and tactful soldiers when it came to combat against the titans but was most recognized for his ice-cold personality and ability to remain calm and collected even in the most high-pressure situation. Erwin was fascinated by the captain, who was somehow one of the only people in the entire survey corps who he was remotely intimidated by, despite the fact that the individual only stood at five foot three. He was the lone wolf of the survey corps, but it wasn’t that he was lonely. If he needed something, someone would jump to their feet. If he spoke, everyone around him would listen. His squad that he was in charge of trusted his judgement, sat with him, Erwin and Hanji at dinner and respected the decisions he made. Erwin had no doubt that if he woke up one day with a bubbly and charismatic personality, he would be flocked by others everywhere he went. Levi simply preferred to do things on his own terms and didn’t need the constant attention of others.</p><p>"Commander." The man in the doorway finally acknowledged Erwin, who had been holding onto eye contact with him for an extended period of time.</p><p>"Captain."</p><p>Hanji laughed nervously for a moment at Erwin’s comment. "No! I mean- you know how you can be very stuck in your ways at times like these... No, haha... Levi and I just passed by each other when I was on my way over here and I figured that if you'd be up, which you are, you'd want to talk about the mission we have into wall Maria later this week and some of the experiments I've been planni-"</p><p>Erwin interjected by raising his hand partially and waving it once at Hanji in a passive gesture. "I'd rather do anything else. It can wait until tomorrow after we've sworn in the recruits and all of the officers have had a moment to get themselves together."</p><p>Hanji nodded, a hopeful smile still plastered over their facial expression. "Very well. Okay, enjoy your tea and don't stay in here too much longer, you're gonna drive yourself mad. None of us can go back in time and change what happened today and nobody’s lives are gonna be made any easier if the commander is wasting away in his office and going crazy over it. I'm off to bed."</p><p>And with that, the lanky brunette spun around and walked over to the door, pausing by the shorter man on their way out. The two exchanged momentary eye contact and a brief nod before they brisked off, leaving the commander seated at his desk staring over at the captain who remained standing in the doorway to his office.</p><p>"Hanji's right... Sitting in here and wallowing over the past is a pathetic look for you." Levi did not break eye contact with the small cup of tea in his hands as he spoke, which he then lifted to take a small sip from. Following the remark, Erwin sighed and pushed himself back in his chair before finally rising from his desk. He grabbed the tea that Hanji had left for him and walked over to the doorway, where he paused to glance down at Levi, who still leaned against the door frame.</p><p>Erwin did not understand exactly what it was that went through his mind when he was around the captain. This was one of those rare moments when he was with him and was not surrounded by a plethora of commanding officers, or they were in some sort of work-related setting. Somehow with Levi, it seemed as though it was all about work with him all the time, and Erwin had recently admitted to himself that he wanted something with the other man that wasn’t constantly tied to business. Erwin didn’t usually struggle to strike up a conversation with anyone and was even able to discuss plans with Levi into the long hours of the night, yet for some reason he found himself lost for words as he attempted to conjure up some form of small talk with. The other individual. "Goodnight, Levi.” He finally spoke, his voice low and docile, yet his head was clouded with a growing sense of defeat.</p><p>“Goodnight, Smith.” Levi retorted, gazing up at the man who was nearly a foot taller than he was.</p><p>Erwin forced a small smile across his lips before he turned away and walked down the hall in the direction of his own room.</p><hr/><p>The following evening, the overall psyche of the commanding officers had shifted from dismay to determination as they mulled over potential plans of attack for a mission they would be executing in just two days. The new recruits that had just been sworn in barely knew how to navigate in maneuver gear and would not be participating for the most part, yet Erwin, Hanji and Levi would all be leading experienced groups into the abandoned land of wall Maria that had been occupied by substantial populations of titans. As the higher ups continued to discuss what kind of plan would work, there was a sudden uproar that could be heard from the dining room. Erwin immediately turned his head in the direction of the sound, narrowing his eyes as an aggravated expression crossed over his face.</p><p>"Hanji, Levi, come with me." He remarked, his tone stern. Hanji and Levi hesitated for a moment, taking slightly aback, yet the two reluctantly made their way over to Erwin as he headed towards the door.</p><p>"But-" one of the commanding officers interrupted.</p><p>"I trust your judgement, we'll be back shortly, I just have to break this up." He was already out the door before any of the other officers could argue any further.</p><p>The group of three exited the board room and made their way over to the dining room where they could hear the newer members of the survey corps socializing in a way that seemed overtly rambunctious.</p><p>Levi was unsure as to why Erwin needed Hanji with him for this, yet he knew why he wanted him here. Erwin was good at talking to the recruits in a way that boosted their morale and encouraged them, and he knew Levi was unafraid to strip them down from the pedestal that Erwin was capable of lifting them up to. Levi had stood beside Erwin as he swore in the new recruits earlier that day, and the commander had introduced them to both him and Hanji. Upon telling them that they would be observing some of them during combat training the following day, a lot of the recruits had cast nervous glances in Levi’s direction.</p><p>"And what exactly was that for? Are you planning on putting them in time out or something, or were you just getting bored with the meeting and needed to get out for a minute?" Hanji joked, attempting to lighten the mood as the three of them walked down the hall, the uproar becoming increasingly louder. Before he could respond, Erwin pried the door open to see a verbal dispute between two of the new recruits transitioning into a physical altercation. It sounded as though it was rooted in different beliefs regarding humanity and the titans. Erwin opened his mouth to speak out at the group, yet before he could talk, he noticed the chants of encouragement from the surrounding recruits gradually die out as Levi walked in front of Erwin and made his way over to the two. By the time he reached them, the focus of the newly recruited soldiers had shifted into eager anticipation for how the captain was going to handle the two teenagers engaged in the scuffle.</p><p>Of course, he resorted to violence as a form of punishment.</p><p>The silence among the group was interrupted by two ear-piercing cries as Levi grabbed one by the ear and the other by his hair, forcefully yanking the aggressive pair away from one another.</p><p>"Listen you little shits... If you can't get along with each other within the safety of our headquarters and with all of your commanders right down the hall, you best believe you'll be the very first to get eaten alive as soon as you step outside of the wall. Do you think a titan is going to consider what your fucking beliefs are when he has you trapped in his gruesome hands, squeezing the life out of you rib by rib...?” He yanked at the two of them a little harder, eyes in a narrow glare as he moved an inch closer to their faces. “All they’re going to care about is what you taste like when they slowly rip you apart with their teeth... and they’re not going to make it quick for you either." His voice was low and threatening, and all of the recruits in the dining room had fallen completely silent. The two individuals in his grasp were trembling slightly, eyes wide and beads of sweat collecting on their foreheads as they absorbed every word that the captain growled at them. "You think you're gonna get far when you have to follow the same plan that your lives depend on.... but you can't even co-exist at the fucking dinner table? If you two don't kiss and make up by the next time I see either of you, we're going to have a fucking problem." He finally released the two after had been adding tension to his grip on them the entire time he had been speaking. Levi did not utter another word as he retreated back to his position beside Erwin and Hanji, walking past the two and allowing the door to close swiftly behind him.</p><p>Erwin could not take his eyes off of Levi as he made his typical dramatic exit from the dining room, the sound of the wooden door slamming behind him sending a chill down the commander’s spine. He was fascinated by Levi’s way of whipping the recruits into shape by scaring the shit out of them. Returning quickly to his senses, he turned his head back around where his gaze was met by hundreds of recruits staring silently at Hanji and himself, waiting for either of them to speak.</p><p>"You all shouldn't be here too late... Expect to be up early for combat training tomorrow. And I don't want to have to hear anything about petty political disagreements between you again. Save that kind of energy for the titans." He finally exclaimed to the entire audience, yet his gaze shifted momentarily on the two who had been bickering just a moment ago, both still wincing in pain. And with that, he turned around and walked out the double doors of the dining hall, followed by Hanji, who turned to give one last look at the recruits as they slowly resumed a tamer conversation.</p><p>Levi was waiting for the other two outside of the dining room, leaning against the wall in the dim, candle-lit hallway. His eyes quickly met Hanji and Erwin’s as they looked down at him, and he waited for either of them to speak first, his expression cold and blank.</p><p>"Hanji, let me know how the rest of the meeting goes. We might catch the very end of it but don’t hold back if not." Erwin finally spoke. Hanji glanced over at him, confused for a moment, yet they inevitably shrugged and nodded before walking back to the board room. Levi looked up at the commander, silvery eyes narrow as he waited a few moments for some explanatory remark, yet there was nothing.</p><p>"You know, this is poor character as commander, missing out on a meeting for a mission that you're supposed to be leading..."</p><p>Erwin disregarded the comment. His eye twitched slightly as he loomed over the petitely statured captain, his figure covered by his dark green cloak that practically swallowed him whole. His patience for Levi’s inability to remove himself from his work-oriented mentality was growing thinner with each moment. His own failure to attempt to talk with Levi the night before was also hanging over him like a greater defeat than the entire mission had been. He knew he had to be more straightforward with the hints he was delivering to Levi that he wanted something, anything with him of substance that wasn’t connected to the survey corps.</p><p>“You sure didn’t hold back with those two in there... I wouldn’t be surprised if I wake up tomorrow morning and see them packing their shit and making a beeline back home...” Erwin finally spoke, a soft smile crossing his face as he attempted to poke fun at Levi’s way of dealing with the recruits.</p><p>“Good, if they leave tomorrow then that proves they were never fit to be here in the first place.” Levi replied, his expression unchanging.</p><p>"Anyways, Levi...” Erwin hesitated for a moment, breaking eye contact with the shorter man before shifting his gaze back at him, determination in his icy blue eyes. He figured that if Levi’s way of being all business all the time was unwavering, he’d do a better job at getting to him by speaking his language. “I want you beside me on this upcoming mission. I know you usually lead your own team and I don't regroup with you until the end, but I see how you expect nothing but excellence from those around you, I see it in the way your squad looks at you and respects you and- ..." He paused for a moment at the realization that he was beginning to ramble, which was unlike him.</p><p>Levi noticed the change in Erwin’s tone as well. This was unusual for him, someone who was calm and collected at any given moment. Erwin always knew exactly what to say when it came to commanding those around him and was surprised by his sudden inability to get a complete sentence out. "Why can't this be said in front of the entire board...?" He inquired, narrowing his eyes at Erwin’s remark.</p><p>"Because this is personal." The commander admitted, breaking eye contact with the shorter man, Levi did not respond, he simply crossed his arms as he waited for Erwin to explain himself. "You're irreplaceable. I can go on a thousand missions and recover from the loss of any survey corps member... I know that sounds inhumane and fucked up, but I think the only thing that will get me through this mission is knowing you're still alive-"</p><p>"Shut up, Smith." Erwin blinked, narrowing his eyes as he looked down at Levi who had quickly cut him off. "And what if I bite the dust when we're out there? Are you just gonna give up hope and let yourself get eaten too? If that's how you're thinking then I might as well stay the fuck home, and you know damn well I'm not going to be doing that. You sound like you're in love with me or some bullshit." The shorter man scoffed and turned around, beginning to walk back in the direction of the board room. Erwin stood in the middle of the hallway for a second, turning to watch Levi as he walked off. He narrowed his eyes and clenched his jaw for a moment, yet before he could step forward to catch up with him, Levi paused and turned back to look over at Erwin. "Whatever you want to tell me, you can say it in front of the entire board." His expression never changed. In fact, Erwin couldn't remember the last time he had seen a trace of intense emotion painted across Levi's face. Following his short remark, Levi turned away and was gradually engulfed by the dark hallway as he returned to the board room.</p><p>Erwin stood there, hesitating for a moment. He could not wrap his head around why that slight altercation with the captain was causing his chest to tighten as a wave of defeat washed over him once again. He had become completely mesmerized by Levi, and was slowly noticing the truth of the matter, which was that so was everyone else around here. All of the other officers, especially Hanji, attempted to spend time with Levi whenever they could, and Erwin couldn’t help but notice how he never let any of them in. The stout man’s inaccessibility only caused Erwin’s fascination with him to grow stronger, and he was slowly beginning to realize that he had fallen in line with everyone around him, yearning to be the one individual in the survey corps that could break through to Levi and have some sort of relationship with him outside of military concerns.</p><p>As a newer member of the survey corps, Erwin admittedly fucked around a <em>lot. </em>And it came easy to him... He never knew the feeling of having to chase someone so desperately. However, he had become completely immersed by it. As he rose in rank throughout the years, he toned his endeavors down until they gradually came to a halt, partly because he was so occupied with his rank, yet also due to the fact that nobody stood out to him anymore that encouraged him to pursue them.</p><p>Except for Levi.</p><hr/><p>The day before the mission, Erwin could not shake the interaction he had with Levi from the front of his mind. The remainder of the board meeting had gone well, and although Erwin's conclusion that his and Levi's squad would remain together during the mission resulted in some brief disputes, it was inevitably decided on. Hanji's squad, as well as teams led by commanding officers Mike and Nanaba would veer off from the central group. The three smaller groups would ride closer to titan and set off a smoke signal if they encountered any titans. The central group would surprise the titans by joining up with the smaller squad and outnumbering them. They also decided that a small number of newer recruits that stood out during training would come along on their debut mission out into the abandoned land within wall Maria. Erwin was hopeful that this mission would have a more positive outcome than the one that had happened days ago.</p><p>Instead of sleeping that night, the commander stirred in bed. Erwin hadn't been kept awake like this since he had first arrived at the survey corps. He used to toss and turn at night on the evening before a mission, thoughts of his own demise plaguing his mind as he played out scenarios of him fucking up in ways that would cost him his life. After surviving through numerous missions and time passing by, these thoughts began to subside. The outings past the wall became a part of life, and he learned to let go of the what if's that kept him up at night. But for some reason they had returned to his mind before this mission, yet they were not about his own well-being.</p><p>He tossed and turned and continued to jolt awake at the prospect of returning to headquarters tomorrow without Levi.</p><p>Unable to shake the thought from his mind as the night carried on, the commander eventually rose from his bed. He lit a candle and made his way down the hall towards Levi's room, knocking on the door.</p><p>There was a short pause, followed by a few footsteps towards Erwin on the other side of the door, the sound of the knob turning and the door creaking as Levi opened it just a crack. Upon making eye contact with the commanding officer, Levi opened the door about halfway and looked up at him. "Can I help you?" A hint of aggravation was peppered into his tone of voice, confirming that he had been asleep just seconds ago prior to the unexpected visit from Erwin.</p><p>"ah... Sorry to wake you, I know it's late-"</p><p>"oh? I didn't notice."</p><p>A small grin crept across Erwin’s face, which quickly shifted into a more genuine smile. "Listen, I won't keep you for long but... about tomorrow... don't die."</p><p>Levi said nothing at first, yet for a moment his heart skipped a beat in surprise with the commander’s remark. Nonetheless, he kept his composure and narrowed his eyes, somewhat perplexed. "Is there anything else you needed...?" He finally questioned after a long pause, leaning up against the doorway. Erwin took a moment and looked down at Levi in silence. He didn't think he'd ever understand him. He was beneath him in rank, but he was one of the most intimidating people he'd ever met.</p><p>Erwin’s mind suddenly wandered to a place where he envisioned himself back when he was a soldier in the survey corps, sitting in the dining room with a group of his friends at a table off to the side when a substantial group of new recruits flooded into the spacious room, most of them exchanging glances with those who were already occupying the room in an assessing sort of way before hovering over some of the tables toward the center of the room. An abrupt nudge led Erwin to look over at Nanaba, who was sitting beside him.</p><p>"That one over there... I heard that recruit is from the underground city."</p><p>At the comment, Mike and Gelgar's heads quickly swiveled around to the crowd of newbies finding their places at tables. All four of their gazes inevitably landed on an individual with dark hair that fell in thin, silky strands over his silver eyes. He was shorter than a majority of the female recruits, and he seemed significantly more composed but also less enthused than the other newcomers around him, who were excitedly engaging with one another as they huddled around the tables and set themselves down.</p><p>"He looks tough." Gelgar exclaimed, almost in a joking manner. "Kind of in a tiny but mighty sort of way." He added to his statement, looking around at the rest of the group in search of approval. The other three continued to look over at the recruit for a moment too long, for his head suddenly swiveled around and he made direct eye contact with them for just a moment. Stunned, the group of four looked abruptly down at their plates, then back at each other.</p><p>"Awkward." Nanaba whispered.</p><p>"He definitely thinks we're freaks." Mike added.</p><p>Erwin was the first to change the subject and move on from the odd encounter that had just occurred. "I'm going to keep an eye on that one during combat training tomorrow." It only took seconds for Erwin to become fixated on the petite, raven-haired teenager. Earlier in the week, he been assigned to a small group of subordinates, and was excited that the commander had announced to him that he would be able to expand upon his squad based on which of the new arrivals stood out to him the most.</p><p>“Erwin.” Mike suddenly blurted out, yet it was not Mike’s voice that he was hearing anymore.</p><p>"Erwin."</p><p>Erwin blinked a few times, snapping immediately out of the sudden flashback that he had become entirely immersed in and shifting his gaze back at Levi, who was staring up at him as if he had three heads.</p><p>"Go back to sleep. You seem like you need it."</p><p>Erwin remained silent for another moment as he attempted to find the right words, yet this was not natural. He hadn’t stumbled across Levi by accident in the right place at the right time, he had forced himself into Levi’s narrative in the middle of the night with an expectation that things would go in a completely different direction that they were headed. "I... That's all I needed to say." He exhaled silently in an attempt to collect himself. "Don't kick the fucking bucket tomorrow." He added in a sterner tone of voice before turning and beginning to walk back towards his room, spinning his head back around to see Levi still in the doorway, his expression much more awake than it had been moments ago. "That's an order."</p><hr/><p>The following morning greeted the soldiers with beaming sunlight and the astronomical shouts and cheers of the townspeople as they made their way towards the gate at the edge of the city. As soon as the survey corps crossed onto the other side of the wall, they broke into a quicker pace out into the open grassland, splitting off into five groups. Only a few miles out, Erwin and Levi's combined squad in the center of the operation noticed a red flare as it was released into the sky over to the left. At Erwin’s command, they quickly turned in that direction, headed toward the combat that was waiting for them at the location of the smoke signal. The commander had given all of his soldiers, new and seasoned, enough words of wisdom to charge enthusiastically forward right behind him. Levi was capable of persisting with or without the inspirational speech. He was just glad he didn't have to be the one delivering them. Soon enough, a small pack of titans came into view as they approached where the smoke signal had been sent up. The signal was from Mike's squad, who was already engaging with the group of creatures, using some worn down buildings and sparse trees as leverage to use their maneuver gear off of.</p><p>Erwin quickly hopped off of his horse, switching over to maneuver gear, securing his hook onto the back of a larger titan that had a member of Mike's squad trapped within its gruesome hands. As the soldier struggled, Erwin flew right up to where his maneuver gear had attached itself to the titan, drawing his blades that he used to slice through the skin on the back of the titan's neck before it was able to bite down and end the life of the helpless individual. The commander landed back down to the ground so he could help the soldier, who was bursting with gratitude for a moment, before quickly rejoining the rest of his squad. Erwin paused for a moment and watched them as his and Levi’s combined squad had begun to combat against the titans in a way that appeared promising.</p><p>Erwin seemed to have forgotten that it only took a moment of hesitation for your life to come to a screeching halt when you were beyond the wall.</p><p>"COMMANDER!"</p><p>Returning abruptly to his senses at the ear-piercing shriek of one of his soldiers calling out his name, Erwin spun around and gasped at the sight of two giant hands and a gaping jaw with nasty teeth only a few feet from his face. Before he could even react, the sound of metal blades piercing through thick flesh echoed through the air, and the gigantic mouth gaped even further, jerking back for a moment before falling forwards, hands thudding against the ground and face planting itself right into the dirt, the ground shaking as the entirety of the titan’s limp body made contact with the earth. Erwin watched in awe as Levi appeared behind the sinking head of the titan, pointing his blades downwards as he stood atop the back of the deceased creature and glared down at Erwin. "Are you fucking stupid?!" He shouted, before quickly utilizing his maneuver gear to leap over to the roof of a partially intact building. Erwin followed Levi with his eyes for a moment before heading over to the same structure.</p><p>Levi turned to look over at Erwin, a hint of disappointment plaguing his facial expression which created a pit inside his stomach. "I didn't come all the way out here to babysit the man in charge." Levi barked, before leaping back into the mix, assisting the members of his squad against the titans. Erwin watched from the roof as the creatures seemingly fell left and right wherever Levi went.</p><p>Now was not the time for Erwin to get stuck in daydream or be bogged down by the venomous tone Levi had just projected onto him. He knew that he had to be at the top of his game, for his job was to lead everyone around him, and was quickly able to come to his senses and complete the mission with the rest of the team. As a collective entity, they managed to eliminate the titans in the area with minimal losses of their own. By the time the sun began to dip towards the horizon, all five teams had regrouped and were on their way back to the wall, morale significantly higher than it had been when they were traveling the same route home only a few days ago.</p><p>That evening, the energy amongst the soldiers in the dining room was high. The few recruits that had earned a spot on the mission earlier in the day were enthusiastically telling their acquaintances about their excursion, each one portraying themselves as the hero in their own stories. For them, this was a first victory and it felt astounding. They were yet to discover what it felt like to experience a crushing loss after a failed mission. Erwin and the other more seasoned members of the survey corps were used to small victories like this, yet they enjoyed and contributed to the positive energy that circulated around them and celebrated on their own. The commander sat at a long table towards the edge of the large room with Hanji, Levi, Mike, Nanaba and some of the well-acquainted members of their squads. A majority of the people at the table, including Erwin and especially Hanji were at least a few drinks in at this point.</p><p>Face completely flushed, Hanji slammed one of their hands down on the table, causing a shocked reaction from those sitting beside her, and even some of the recruits at nearby tables. "Mike, I don't know why you were so quick to kill that one! It was the-most hideous thing I've seen in my- entire LIFE! And you didn't think I wanted to study it?! You know how its eyes... were... on.... it’s.... neck" Hanji’s remark, regarding an abnormal titan that they had encountered on the mission was interrupted by their own bursts of laughter.</p><p>“They weren’t on its.... okay.”</p><p>"Oh, and Erwin?! You were no help today." Gelgar reminded the commander loudly before sitting back and looking left and right, mimicking a helpless and lost expression. Hanji, Gelgar and the rest continued to imitate on the commanders less than professional performance during the mission that day, erupting in laughter. "Wow, the sunset is so beautiful... it brings me to tears.... let me stand here like a deer in the headlights and admire it as this five-meter charges right at me!" Hanji chimed in. "Was he admiring the sunset? Or somebody’s ASS in uniform...." Mike piped in, before looking around. “Oh, it was definitely Oluo, this man’s WAGON walks in the room five minutes after he does!” He joked, grinning over at the now shocked member of Levi’s squad and giving Erwin an aggressive nudge. The rest of Levi’s subordinates burst into laughter at that. Erwin played along and laughed at their commentary, yet he knew that his mistake of lingering down on the ground could have cost him his life earlier that day. Despite the moment of overthinking, he tipped his glass to his lips and continued to fall further into a drunken state with his comrades. He deserved it, and so did they. Within the hour, they were slamming hands on tables, banging feet on the floor, pointing and shouting in each other’s direction and laughing at their remarks that weren't even that funny.</p><p>"Aren't you full of jokes tonight."</p><p>Suddenly, everyone at the table could hear a pin drop.</p><p>They all turned over at Levi, who took a long sip from his glass. Hanji's eye twitched for a moment before an explosion of laughter, in which the others joined in on. Levi stood up, unfazed by the collective outburst of his acquaintances. "Goodnight." He tranquilly announced before navigating gracefully through the maze of tables and out the door. Everyone went silent again.</p><p>"Awww...." Hanji complained. "Tell him to come back!" Erwin had fallen completely silent and couldn't look away from the door, his head spinning slightly. His entire body began to burn with what he thought was jealousy at first. Erwin could command his audience when he asserted himself as the leader, giving outward orders to those around him and proclaiming himself as somebody who was in a position of power. He was the one in charge, but only because of the rank he had. Levi did not have such position, yet he could command an entire room by doing something as simple as standing up or opening his mouth for five seconds. He was one of the most powerful entities Erwin had ever encountered, and Erwin couldn't stand it. Usually, he was able to suppress this, yet tonight he had no such angel on his shoulder telling him to let it pass. He came to recognize that it was not jealousy. He was about to explode with the desperate need to prove that <em>he </em>was the one in charge and <em>not </em>Levi. Without saying a word to the others, who had returned to their jovial conversation by this point, Erwin abruptly pushed himself back in his chair and stood up, staggering slightly before he balanced himself out and headed towards the door. Hanji and the others paused for a moment and watched him walk out in a way that was more than dramatic.</p><p>“Did he have to pee...?”</p><p>"I hate to see him go but I love to watch him leave..."</p><p>"There goes another."</p><p>"I wonder who will be the last one out here."</p><p>"Shots anyone?!”</p><p>Erwin walked briskly up the stairs, knuckles white as he grasped onto the railing before he stumbled down the hall towards where Levi's room was. Upon arrival, he began to bang aggressively on the door, the veins in his muscular arms protruding and beads of sweat forming on his forehead, jaw clenched as he slammed his fist against the wooden surface. This time when the shorter man answered, he was not in a half-asleep state. He was awake, just done with the other's bullshit. Erwin nearly lost his balance as the door was flung inward, and Levi widened his eyes a bit at the sight of the disheveled commander.</p><p>"Can I help you, Smith?" His tone was docile as he stared blankly up at Erwin, who placed his hand that had been previously pounding at the door on the doorframe above his head to support himself and leaning over Levi in a way that would likely be a bit threatening to anybody other than the captain. He arched a brow, silently waiting for whatever it was Erwin had to say.</p><p>"Do you.... respect... me?" Erwin blurted out. Levi nodded his head slowly up and down once and rolled his eyes off to the side at the realization of the commander’s intoxication.</p><p>"Go to bed."</p><p>"See? Levi I'm the one in charge you can't... you just... gave me an order."</p><p>Levi narrowed his eyes, looking up at Erwin. "You're entitled to be as unprofessional as you'd like on your free time... but go keep it to those who also want to act like animals with you."</p><p>Erwin blinked. "So, you think I'm... unprofessional.... then.... that makes you... even less professional-"</p><p>"Go to bed, Erwin."</p><p>"Okay."</p><p>Erwin walked past Levi, nudging him aside with his disoriented body and slumped face-down onto the other man’s bed.</p><p>"..."</p><p>"Goodnight, Levi."</p><p>"Erwin go to sleep in your own fucking room."</p><p>Erwin's eyes were closed, his head spinning as he failed to comprehend Levi scolding him to get out of his bed for a few moments until was jolted back to his senses by the sudden sensation of his head being yanked up by the hair. Erwin spun around and sat right up and looked up at Levi, who stood before him, glaring down. "You're acting pathetic." He scoffed. Erwin stood right up, aggressively grabbing Levi by the jaw with one hand and pulling his face closer to his own, now glaring down at him.</p><p>"How dare you treat your commander like that."</p><p>Levi did not wince. He narrowed his eyes right back at Erwin, a grimace crossing over his face. "If you’re going to act like a fucking child, I’m going to treat you like one." He sneered, expecting Erwin to stand down. Instead, the significantly larger man lowered his hand down to grasp Levi by the neck, and he swung him around so that his back was pressed up against the wall. He loomed over the smaller man, who was glaring up at him, strands of dark hair falling over his eyes. He lifted a hand and grabbed forcefully onto Erwin’s wrist that connected to the hand that was now beginning to asphyxiate him slightly. "Let go you fucking freak."</p><p>"Apologize."</p><p>"Erwin you're- drunk- let go-" His eyes were beginning to roll to the back of his head and his lips parted as he began to gasp for air. Levi was not weak and was easily a fair opponent against the commander in a more prepared fight, yet Erwin was twice his size and had caught him off guard, which was unusual for Levi. Quickly coming to his senses, Levi abruptly kicked his knee upwards, hitting the commander in between the legs. The taller man sneered in pain and loosened his grip on Levi, which enabled the smaller man to grab ahold of his wrists and spin him around, pressing Erwin’s back up against the same wall he had just been shoved into.</p><p>"Are you fucking crazy?!" Levi shouted at Erwin, visibly outraged. Erwin stopped resisting him at that moment, slumping up against the wall. His glare softened and he broke eye contact with Levi, staring down at the floor as he began to slide down the wall, his knees eventually bending, bringing him to a seated position on the floor. Levi stood over him and watched him sink to the ground, running a hand through his hair to neaten it out before inevitably taking a knee right in front of him, grabbing Erwin by the chin and pulling him closer to him, forcing him to make eye contact.</p><p>"What the hell has gotten into you." He barked at Erwin, eyes narrow.</p><p>The brief interaction had sobered Erwin up almost immediately. He wanted to crawl into a hole, ashamed of how his internal struggle for power Levi had resulted in him attempting to use violence as a way to assert a sense of dominance over him. In his drunken state, he had set out to be rough and domineering over the captain, but not in a way that would bring him to inflict genuine pain upon the other man. In that moment, he hated himself.</p><p>"I didn't mean for it to... be like that." Was all that he could mutter, refusing to look directly at Levi, who stood up, extending a hand to Erwin without saying a word. Erwin took the hand and Levi effortlessly pulled his superior up, lifting his hand to brush a few disheveled strands of blonde hair away from his eyes. He paused there, his hand in his hair for a moment, before it fell, slowly grazing Erwin’s shoulder and torso on its way back to his side. The two didn't break eye contact for a moment. Levi exhaled sharply. "I'll forget you pulled this stunt if you get out of here and sleep it off." Levi remarked, yet Erwin did not move. Instead, he grabbed Levi by the hands and walked backward a few paces so he could sit down on his bed. Based on the height at which the bed was raised, Levi was looking slightly down at him, yet they were closer to eye level than they had been when they were both standing.</p><p>"You fascinate me..." He murmured, his eyes falling from the other man’s face. He let go of Levi's hands and placed them on his waist, allowing them to creep ever so slightly up underneath his shirt, momentarily feeling the muscles that made up his torso. Levi immediately jolted back, surprised by the sudden advancement Erwin had made on him. Erwin did not resist it this time, he let him go, his hands limply reached out into the air where they had just been grazing the skin of the other man for just a moment.</p><p>"Erwin, I don't understand why you're-"</p><p>Erwin stood up and once again and cupped Levi's jaw with his hand, pulling his face close to his.</p><p>"Tell me you don't think about me like this as well.... And if you mean it, I'll leave."</p><p>Levi's glare softened slightly. He parted his lips as if he were to speak, yet he inevitably remained silent.</p><p>Levi had lived the first half of his life in the underground, he was at the bottom of the human totem pole yet had managed to float easily to the top when he was thrown into the survey corps. He was in charge anywhere he went, and he liked it that way, yet the only person he looked up to was Erwin. He recognized that he liked the fact that there was only one person who was in charge of <em>him</em>. Recently he had begun to fantasize about the idea of Erwin utilizing other means of reminding Levi that he was still superior to him, for he was beginning to feel like he and Erwin were almost equals when it came to the military and having a work relationship with one another. The power struggle existed in his mind as well, yet he had the opposite feelings as Erwin, for he secretly craved to be reminded that there was one person who would always be above him.</p><p>And that person was looming right over him, his face only inches from his own, icy blue eyes gleaming with the orange light from the candle lit over by the doorway. The silence became deadly and the tension between the two in the small room became a thick weight that could be cut by a knife. Levi narrowed his eyes and grabbed each side of Erwin's face within his hands, pulling him closer and biting down on his lower lip, slowly pulling away and piercing through the flesh with his teeth. Erwin did not react, he wanted to, but he simply looked down at Levi as he pulled away, the shorter man falling from his tip toes until he was flat on his feet again.</p><p>Erwin bit his own lower lip, tasting his own blood in his mouth. He hated this pace, the silence. The combination of the tension, anticipation and alcohol lingering in his system caused beads of sweat to run down the side of his face. On the contrary, Levi continued to show minimal excitement or haste regarding the matter, although his heart was pounding on the inside. He looked up at Erwin, silver eyes glistening with a lustful attitude the commander had never seen before.</p><p>"Tell me what you want." He never broke eye contact as Erwin sat back down on the bed.</p><p>"Sit."</p><p>Levi hesitated for a moment before positioning his legs on either side of Erwin’s waist, his expression unchanging yet his heart rate increasing as he acknowledged how hard the other man was when he sat down in his lap, finally at eye level with the commander. Erwin looked up at Levi and wrapped his arms around his upper back, grazing his hands down his spine and all the way to his waist, where he grabbed the smaller individual by the thighs.</p><p>"Wipe that shit eating expression off of your face, Levi." Erwin added, moving one hand to grab Levi by the chin, his voice low. Levi only narrowed his eyes into a taunting glare.</p><p>"It's gonna be like that with you...?" Erwin added, grinning for a brief moment as he moved his hand away from Levi's face and down his arm, beginning to kiss around his neck, which Levi arched back to expose a little further. The quick and gentle kisses began to evolve into bites that traveled down to Levi’s collarbone. Levi moved his hands from Erwin’s shoulders, tracing them up his neck so that he could grab him by the face and pull the other man’s head away from his neck for a moment, looking him directly in the eyes. "This isn't high school, don't give me a fucking hickey or I am gonna start calling you a child more often." He sneered before finally leaning in to kiss Erwin on the lips. Erwin reciprocated the action, forcing his tongue inside of the other man's mouth. This went on for a short amount of time before Erwin moved his hands from Levi's thighs up to grab the lower hem of his shirt, lifting it up his torso and exposing the skin on his stomach. Levi broke away for a moment so he could raise his arms up, enabling Erwin to remove the article from him completely. Erwin paused, wrapping his arms around the curve of the smaller man's spine and taking a moment to admire Levi’s toned form, study it with his eyes. A lot of things around here Erwin knew off the back of his hand, but this was something that was completely new and foreign to him.</p><p>Restricting himself from smothering every inch of the man who was seated partially undressed on his lap, his gaze shifted up to Levi's face. His expression was stoic, black hair falling over his eyes as he looked down at him. "You're... okay with all this..." Erwin murmured, his eyes falling from his face as he took note of a small collection of purple bruises he had accidentally left on Levi’s neck and collarbone.</p><p>"Erwin." Levi interrupted, grabbing his face and pulling it close to his. "If I didn’t want this, you'd be six feet in the dirt by now." Upon his remark, Erwin grinned for a moment before leaning all the way in so he could resume kissing Levi the way he had been a few moments ago, pausing only for a brief moment to toss his coat aside and unbutton his white shirt. Erwin had come straight from the dining room and unlike Levi, was still in full uniform when he had arrived. Continuing to kiss him down his neck and onto his chest, he ran his fingers through Levi's hair, grabbing it by the fist and yanking his head back. Levi grazed his nails roughly down Erwin's upper back at that, a hissing breath escaping him.</p><p>"You're... so fucking sexy..." The taller man murmured in between kisses before he hoisted Levi up and set him down on the bed, standing in between his legs. He grabbed the hem of his pants and quickly pulled them down to his feet and off of his body entirely. Levi watched Erwin as he did this, and he knew that the other man had been dying to get him into such a vulnerable position. Erwin abruptly grabbed the shorter individual by the legs and lined him up against his hips before hastily undoing his belt and tossing it aside. He broke eye contact with Levi for a moment to pull his boots off of his feet and unzip the pants that he quickly stepped out of, along with his underwear. A chill ran right down Erwin’s spine as he climbed on top of Levi, his skin grazing against the other man’s. Levi grabbed him by the face and pulled him only inches away, wrapping his legs around his waist in a way that was both arousing and constricting.</p><p>"If this is a fucking joke to you, Smith... and you're bragging about this to your fucking posse tomorrow... you're in for a world of hurt."</p><p>Erwin disregarded the comment and began to kiss Levi from the collarbone and up to his neck, yet Levi snagged a fistful of his blonde hair and yanked his head up to force eye contact with him. He narrowed his eyes and remained silent for a moment, leaning in so that he could whisper into the other man’s ear.</p><p>"If you’re not gonna fucking say anything... Fuck me like you mean it... So I can tell if you're being serious with me or not." He murmured softly to the commander, glancing at his face out of the corner of his eye. Levi’s direct remark caused something to snap within Erwin. Wrapping his muscular arms around the torso of the smaller man, he planted a few more sloppy and rough kisses upon Levi’s defined collarbone, the last one evolving into more of a bite. "Is that an order, captain?" He murmured in between kisses.</p><p>"Yes, commander.”</p><p>Erwin quickly unwrapped his hands from Levi so that he could forcefully grab onto his neck and push him back against the bed, kissing him aggressively as his other hand traced the muscles that composed the other man's torso, brushing against his skin all the way down so that he could slide two of his fingers inside of him. At the sudden sensation, Levi grabbed onto the back of Erwin's neck with both hands as he broke away from the kiss momentarily to let out a hissing breath. He could only resume the kiss for a brief moment before biting down on the commander's lower lip as he slipped another finger inside of him, beginning to pump them in a steady forward and back motion.</p><p>Erwin pulled away from Levi momentarily as he could once again taste his own blood on his tongue. He had intentionally ceased to pleasure the man underneath him and could tell by his expression that stopping had angered him. "Do you want more?" he taunted the other individual, who remained silent. Erwin proceeded to remove his fingers from Levi to aggravate him further. "Say my name." He growled out, his three fingers hovering right before his entrance.</p><p>"..."</p><p>Erwin abruptly broke away from Levi to sit up on his knees. He grabbed onto Levi's leg with one hand so that he could separate them from one another, staring down at him as he used his other hand to rub his erection up against his entrance, moving it back and forth along the surface in a teasing manner. Levi winced, clenching his jaw and sneering up at Erwin, strands of hair glistening with a light coat of sweat falling over his eyes. He wanted him so bad, but he bit his tongue as the power struggle between the two continued. He didn’t give in to anyone so easily regardless of the situation.</p><p>Erwin said nothing, he continued with the same teasing motion, tension flowing through his body as the urge to shove himself inside of Levi and fuck the living daylight out of him became harder to resist, yet he was determined to force the other man into submission first. "Say my name, Levi."</p><p>Levi hesitated for a moment. If anything, he wanted to call the commander a dramatic little bitch. But he was growing impatient and could feel his heart as it pounded within his chest with anticipation to feel the commander dominate him. "Erwin..." He inevitably murmured, narrowing his eyes up at the taller blonde. Erwin grinned momentarily, used his hand to guide himself swiftly inside of Levi before leaning over him, intertwining his fingers with Levi's and pressing his hands up against the bed on either side of him. Levi winced for a moment, wrapping his legs around Erwin’s waist once again and kissing him to try and prevent some pathetic noise from escaping him. "Is that good?" Erwin asked as he began to thrust a bit deeper in and out of the smaller man. He had convinced himself that Levi was a very fragile entity, yet his underwhelmed reaction so far proved to him that he could handle a lot more than he thought. "Harder." Was the extent of the remark he received from Levi, who bit his own lip as soon as he spoke. Erwin acknowledged the notion and thrusted back, before shoving the entire length of his cock inside of Levi. At the abrupt motion, Levi dug his nails into Erwin's knuckles and grabbed onto his hand tighter, clenching his jaw. Erwin was determined to break through to him. Holding Levi's hands down by his head, he began to move in and out of him at a significantly more aggressive pace. "Do you like it when I fuck you?" He hissed, moving his head over to the crook of Levi's neck so that he could kiss him in between labored breaths. Levi could only remain silent for another moment with his eyes squinted shut and his teeth gritted together before he finally gasped, his head flinging back against the bed and he began to let out significantly louder and heavier breaths that evolved into gasps and moans. "You sound so fucking good..." Erwin whispered, proud of his ability to get to him. He wanted to place one hand over Levi's neck and choke him out while he kissed him on the lips, but the sounds he was making that he had never heard from him before encouraged him to fuck him even harder, and he wanted to hear more of it. "Fuck- you're so-..." Levi continued to dig into the back of Erwin’s hands, lifting his head up to kiss him for just a moment before a deep enough thrust sent his entire body back against the bed, his spine arching and his body shaking, his eyes rolling back into his skull as Erwin hit a nerve within him that abruptly caused him to cum, yet that did not stop Erwin. He continued, pounding deeper inside of him for another minute until he clenched his jaw, wincing momentarily before letting out a profound gasp as he came inside of the individual gasping underneath him.</p><p>Erwin rolled off of Levi, flopping down beside him on the bed. He looked over at the other man who was staring blankly up at the ceiling, mouth agape as he attempted to catch his breath. After a few moments, Levi turned to make eye contact with Erwin before sitting up, his legs hanging over the edge of the bed. Erwin narrowed his eyebrows. "Nothing? You don't even want to.... I don't know.... tell me how that was? Is this not... kind of a big deal?" Levi remained silent for a moment before looking onwards at nothing in particular, just not at Erwin.</p><p>"I think you should go."</p><p>Erwin looked up at Levi in disbelief. "I- ... okay." He stood up and looked at all of his clothes scattered across the floor, grimacing at the prospect of getting entirely dressed to walk only a few doors down the hall and get back into his own bed. Why didn’t Levi want him to stay and... cuddle or something?! The rush of serotonin that Levi had just caused to flow through him shifted immediately into a crushing sense of defeat. Erwin gathered all of his belongings, Levi watching in silence as he got dressed and made his way out the door. Prying it open just a few inches, Erwin looked left and right to assess whether anyone was wondering the halls at this hour. At the conclusion that nobody was out and about, he paused for a moment before heading out to turn back at Levi.</p><p>"Captain."</p><p>"Commander."</p><hr/><p>The sunlight that shone through Erwin’s window and landed directly upon his face the following morning was almost as rude of an awakening as his massive headache that lingered following consumption of alcohol that he didn't think was as excessive as it was. Groaning, he sat up and rested his face in the palms of his hands before running his fingers back through his hair. As soon as he was awake for another moment, he recognized the stinging sensation on his lower lip, which he soon recognized was a bit swollen.</p><p>It all came back to him in that moment. What had happened between him and Levi the previous night wasn't some whacky and incredible, yet also terrifying dream he had.</p><p>Today was Sunday. Usually when the mission that had occurred on Saturday was a success, the entire survey corps did just about nothing the following day. Erwin trudged down to the dining room in much more casual attire than his typical uniform where he was greeted by Hanji, Mike, Nanaba and Gelgar, all of whom appeared to be plagued by a similar hangover. Erwin sat down beside Mike and Nanaba, across from Hanji and Gelgar. His expression was particularly gloomy in comparison to the other four.</p><p>"Erwin, I gotta say you look worse than the rest of us." Mike was the first to verbally address what everyone at the table was thinking.</p><p>"What was keeping you up this time...? If it was the mission, then you've completely lost it because yesterday was a total victory in my book." Hanji chimed in. "I would have brought you a cup of coffee or something had I known you'd literally be emerging from the dead looking like a zombie this morning." They added.</p><p>Erwin was desperate for them to shut up, or at least do anything other than pry at him. He had barely slept a wink the previous night. Following the stunt Levi pulled by kicking him out of his room, Erwin couldn't shake the thought that he might have done something terribly wrong. He was also fearful that everyone would put two and two together the moment Levi walked into the dining room looking just as disheveled as he was. How was he supposed to explain that? What on earth <em>were they</em> now? He attempted to suppress the thought in hope that the events of last night would go unnoticed by everyone else. He attempted to squash the concern for his appearance with the poor excuse that he was kept up by a group of recruits wandering the halls far too late and conjuring up odd conspiracies about the commanding officers.</p><p>"Like what? Did they say anything about any of us?" Nanaba responded. Erwin looked down for a moment, tapping his foot against the ground as he tried to come up with something. Of course they were going to ask him to elaborate.</p><p>"I... Don't think so... My head was a little foggy anyways, you know..." Was all he could think of on the spot. Nanaba shrugged and took a sip of her tea. The group finally abandoned the topic and went on to engaging in mindless conversations as the sun continued to rise overhead. After an uncertain period of time passed, Hanji looked up to acknowledge Levi silently enter the dining room alongside a few of the starry-eyed recruits who had been on his team during the mission the previous day, as well as Petra and Eld from his squad. Hanji could tell he wanted nothing to do with the cadets at the moment, so they raised an arm into the air to flag the petite individual down.</p><p>"Levi! come join us!" Hanji called out.</p><p>"Let me know how that goes." Levi finished off with the newly recruited soldiers, pretending that he had been listening to whatever it was they were going on about. He walked over to Hanji, followed by Petra and Eld as the other recruits branched off in a different direction. He sat down beside his comrade, a steaming cup of tea resting within his palms.</p><p>Erwin looked up at him. Not a single hair on the top of his head was out of place and there wasn't even a trace of any dark circles underneath his eyes. Neither of them said a word to, or even made eye contact with one another. To make matters even worse, the entire table fell silent for a brief moment.</p><p>"How'd you sleep?" Hanji finally drew the knife that cut the silence among the group, looking over at Levi. He turned to Hanji, and what seemed to be the faintest hint of a smile, an unusual expression for him, crossed his face as he spoke.</p><p>"Oh, fine... Some pest kept me up, but I eventually got rid of it."</p><p>Erwin nearly choked on the sip of coffee he was taking and almost opened his mouth to interject, yet he managed to bite his tongue and remain silent. Nanaba narrowed her eyes. "You mean we have cockroaches or something in HQ!?"</p><p>"It was more of a rat."</p><p>"Did you kill it?"</p><p>"Seems like it bit you." Hanji snickered, tugging at the collar of the large sweater Levi was wearing and analyzing the little purplish marks that trailed down his neck, grinning at the realization that the pest in question was more of a figure of speech. Levi smacked their hand away and looked over at Hanji, his face unchanging. "Keep that up and you'll get bit too." He sneered. Hanji shut up about the matter very quickly and scrambled to find a new topic of discussion at the breakfast table. Despite the gradual shift in conversation, Erwin was unable to shake the snarky remark Levi had just made. He subbed him out by calling him a fucking rat. The comment eventually boiled in his mind for long enough that he was incapable of keeping his mouth shut.</p><p>"You know, Levi, maybe you shouldn't leave your door open if you don't want any unwanted pests sneaking into your room all the time."</p><p>Levi glared up at Erwin, shoulders tense as he set the cup of tea in his hands down on the table, yet he drew out a profound exhale before speaking.</p><p>"I do. They slip through the cracks sometimes."</p><p>"Wait... Now I'm confused. Is there an actual rat or-?" Hanji interjected. <em>Great</em>. Erwin thought, grimacing as he came to realize that he had now brought the previous issue back to the forefront of their discussion. Not wanting to entertain the idea, Erwin grabbed his cup, half full of tea that had gone cold by this point.</p><p>"Going so soon, Erwin? It's our only day off!" Mike announced. Erwin mustered up a vague smile for his friend before he shrugged his shoulders, turning away. "I have to go take care of something in my office. I'd rather get it out of the way when I have the time." He replied before walking off.</p><p>"Is it just me or did something seem off with him...?" Nanaba commented as soon as the doors shut behind Erwin, leaving the other five remaining at the table. "Yeah, he's usually all smiles and enthusiasm and shit on days like this..." Gelgar added.</p><p>Levi was staring blankly into his empty cup that had previously been filled with black tea. He had barely spoken more than a few words the entire time he'd been in the dining room, for his head was so occupied with thoughts that he could not suppress far enough back to allow him to engage in a thorough conversation. He subtly bit his lower lip and narrowed his eyes for a moment before standing up as well. "I'll see you freaks later." He murmured before heading towards the door. To his dismay, Hanji shot right up and followed him out. As soon as the pair entered into the hallway, Hanji began to pester the shorter man.</p><p>"Sooo... what were you really up to last night?" They teased, poking Levi on the shoulder a couple of times. Levi only grimaced and continued to walk. "I mean... If you're gonna parade around in front of us with this shit..." they poked at the bruises scattered about his neck "and barely say a word at breakfast... c'mon you were waiting for someone to ask you about it." Levi rolled his eyes off to the side, glancing away from Hanji before he stopped walking, leaning up against the wall and crossing his arms. "Don't you have anything better to do with your day?"</p><p>Hanji stood across from the shorter man, crossing their arms as well. "I- listen! I tell you all about my... sexcapades! I figured we'd be on the same page with that kind of thing at this point!"</p><p>"And that's your prerogative, not mine." He snapped, his expression slightly displeased because he knew Hanji was likely to continue to pry. "If I had it my way, I wouldn't be looking like a ratty ass teenager right now. And if you don't mind, I have something to attend to."</p><p>Hanji rested their posture on one hip and arched their brows down at Levi. "How the hell are all of you so busy today? This is what's gonna make us go crazy... Alright, I'll let you off the hook for now, but you best believe I'm gonna be up your ass about this later."</p><p>"I'm sure you will." Levi waved one hand at Hanji in a passive gesture before turning and walking away, leaving Hanji standing in the center of the hallway. They watched him walk off for a moment, before turning and heading back in the same direction that they came.</p><hr/><p>Erwin's mulling over a light amount of paperwork was interrupted by an abrupt knock on his office door. His head shot up and he narrowed his eyes. "Come in." He exclaimed, eyes widening a bit as Levi stepped confidently through the doorway, the door shutting behind him as he stood across from Erwin, shifting his weight onto one hip and crossing his arms.</p><p>"Come to explain that little stunt you pulled at breakfast?" The commander remarked, folding his arms over one another atop his desk.</p><p>"You deserved it."</p><p>Erwin glared up at Levi in disbelief and opened his mouth to speak, yet he stopped himself, breaking eye contact for a moment. "...Listen, what I did last night was... Unreasonable and childish. But making subliminal remarks like that in front of everyone else is only sinking to the same level." He tried to remain collected, addressing Levi as though they were discussing less trivial matters.</p><p>"Ah, is somebody butthurt that I didn't wake up next to you this morning and give you a kiss on the cheek?"</p><p>"I- this isn't about me being butthurt, but I'd appreciate the explanation for the cold shoulder... Even for you, you're being unbelievably sinister."</p><p>Levi's expression softened a bit and he uncrossed his arms, looking down at as he took a few steps up to his desk, which he leaned up against so that he was adjacent to where Erwin was seated. "I didn't come here to listen to you complain... But it is nice knowing that such a small thing I can do is going to hit so many nerves for you..." Erwin looked up at Levi and was surprised to see that the faintest essence of a grin had crept over the captains face.</p><p>"What is it that you came here for...?" Erwin remained stoic, disregarding the unfortunately true remark that Levi had just made.</p><p>"Well... My original intention was to apologize. We're adults, might as well act like them. But..." He paused, sliding around to the same side of the desk where Erwin was sitting, making his way so that he was now leaning up against the structure directly across from the other man. "I think I changed my mind when I found out how easy it is to get under your skin..."</p><p>Erwin glanced up at Levi, hesitantly pulling the chair he was seated in a short distance away from his desk to make room for Levi to shift into the space directly between Erwin and the wooden surface. He leaned forwards, his hands resting on the chair in between his own knees. Levi tugged gently at the collar of Erwin’s button up shirt. "You control freak..." He murmured before standing up, leaning over Levi and placing his hands on either side of his counterpart. "However, you're the one who admitted they wanted to come back to me without even having to say anything..."</p><p>"You're not wrong, Smith." Levi murmured, leaning back and sitting up against the surface of Erwin’s desk, sweeping Erwin's paperwork off to the side with his hands. "If it does your ego any good... I've been thinking about you all morning."</p><p>"How so?" Erwin questioned, voice low as he leaned in a little closer to Levi. He knew what he was talking about. Levi was often distant on Sundays, he rarely saw him during his time off-duty, so it was nice seeing him in this more casual state for a change. He wore a loose-fitting sweater with a high neckline and sleeves that ended far enough down his hands so that he could only see the ends of his fingers. The garment was a similar color as Levi’s hair, which was somehow so neat with the exception of a strand or two that fell over his face as he tilted his head up to look at Erwin. "I've been thinking about how you can stick your dick in me as many times as you want, but somehow I'll always be on top of you." The smirk that had occupied Levi's expression became toothy for a moment, which was almost alarming to Erwin. The shorter man's eyes narrowed in a way that contributed to the most shit-eating grin Erwin had seen in his entire life. But what Erwin hated even more than his expression was the fact that he was right. The more he took from Levi, the further he became wrapped around his little finger. Erwin was first in command everywhere else but here. When he was alone with the other individual, he could do anything he wanted, but it was all for Levi’s sake. He had become so quickly obsessed with the idea of doing whatever he needed to keep him coming back and wanting more from him because he wanted him so badly, and Levi was the one who was capable of completely tearing his morale down by something as subtle as a hint of disregard in the dining room.</p><p>"And I've also been thinking about how it would go with you if I came in here, and how you'd react to me coming onto you... after I was oh so rude to you earlier..." He leaned in and whispered into Erwin's ear "<em>does that make you angry</em>...?"</p><p>Erwin saw exactly how it was. Not even a second passed after Levi's remark did Erwin grab him by the back of the neck, spinning him around so that he was bent over the surface of the desk. Levi winced as he hit the surface, turning his head so that his cheek was pressed against the desk and he could look over at Erwin out of the corner of his eye.</p><p>“Oh, it makes me angry.” Removing his hand from Levi’s neck, Erwin grazed his fingers down to Levi's hips so that he could grab the rim of his pants on either side, abruptly pulling them down his thighs. Erwin grabbed onto Levi's exposed hip with one hand, drawing the other back before sending it forward to aggressively slap his exposed ass cheek. Levi jolted forward at that, shoulders tensing abruptly up and his eyes squinting shut. He listened as Erwin undid his belt buckle and unzipped his pants. A chill was sent immediately down his spine as he felt the other man rest his cock beneath his tailbone, proceeding to trail it down to his ass, pausing and rubbing it against his entrance. He lifted a hand to his mouth and spat on it before rubbing it up and down the tip of his own cock. He then grabbed Levi by the hips, pulling him right up to him and using his other hand to guide himself forcefully inside of him. "fuck-!" Levi dug his nails down the wooden surface of the desk which produced a horrific screeching noise as he left claw marks behind on the piece of furniture. Erwin had lost any ability to take things slow with him. He immediately began to fuck Levi as aggressively as he could, moving his hands from his waist and up his back as he leaned directly on top of him on the desk, interlacing his fingers with Levi's. Levi raised his head up and turned to the side to look at Erwin. He leaned in to kiss him for a brief moment before he bit down on Erwin's lower lip. As soon as Levi bit him, Erwin pushed himself deeper inside, moving one of his hands so that he could grab a fistful of Levi’s black hair and pull his head back. "You like that, you dirty little freak?" Erwin hissed into his ear.</p><p>"mhm- don't fucking stop-..." Levi growled, occasionally unclenching his jaw to let out a gasping breath. Erwin yanked him even further back by the hair, his other hand intertwined so tightly with Levi's fingers that his knuckles we white. "You sound so fucking good when you moan for me, Levi..." He murmured before kissing his neck. Levi sneered momentarily "I'm never- coming anywhere near you- for the rest of my fucking life- if you leave another fucking bruise-" he threatened, turning his neck away from Erwin, who finally let go of his hair and leaned back so that he could smack him on the ass again, significantly harder this time. He then leaned back over Levi, placing his hand on his erection and beginning to jerk him off. Levi winced before gasping, planting his forehead down on the desk, his shoulders practically tensed up to his ears. "Erwin-..." He sneered.</p><p>"What was that...?" Erwin remarked at the sound of his own name, grinning a bit and planting a few kisses on Levi's spine in between thrusts.</p><p>"Erwin-!" He exclaimed a second time, his eyes squinted shut as his moaning grew progressively louder, attempts to grit his teeth so he could remain silent becoming more and more impossible. "it's- you're- so g- fuck- I'm-". All of the sounds Levi kept making only encouraged Erwin further, touching and fucking him with even more vigor until he began to feel his forehead burn, sweat running down the side of his face. "Fuck..." He hissed through his teeth, taking a sharp inhale as he could feel his cock throbbing inside of Levi. He proceeded to jerk him more forcefully in hopes that he would orgasm before him. Kissing at his neck and shoulders, he leaned up slightly to murmur "cum for me" into the other man’s ear. Levi clenched his teeth together as Erwin repeated the statement a second time. "You like when I touch you?" He continued to whisper to him, eyes narrow and his remarks broken up by labored breaths.</p><p>"gh-fuck...- you're-" At this point, Levi could barely get any words out, the way Erwin was moving so deep inside of him sent chills shooting up his spine. His eyes rolled to the back of his head for a few moments whenever Erwin would hit a certain nerve inside his body. He could take a lot and liked how rough the other man was being with him, yet he could only handle so much. He could feel him throbbing inside of him and knew that part of his power struggle involved getting him to cum before him. He wanted to hold out to aggravate Erwin, yet a certain combination of thrusting inside of him and jerking his cock at the right moment caused his entire body to tense up, and the moan he emitted was almost akin to a scream as he came all over Erwin's desk, and he could tell that the other man experienced the same sensation in the exact moment for he stopped immediately after, sweat dripping down as they both began to gasp for air to collect their breaths.</p><p>A few moments later, Erwin pulled slowly out of Levi, his bulky and muscular figure shaking as he moved back. Levi flipped himself around so that he could sit up and make direct eye contact with the other man. His previously tidy hair was now disheveled, strands falling over his face and sticking out in multiple directions. He took a deep inhale before slowly drawing the breath back out, staring silently up at Erwin. He was in his space this time and was waiting for him to speak, although he was not concerned with whatever he would or wouldn't say to him.</p><p>"You can't kick me out of my own office... and I don't want to let go of you just yet." Erwin grinned a little bit, zippering his pants back up before leaning down to grab Levi's sweater off of the floor, tossing it to him. Levi grabbed the garment and pulled it over his petite frame. "Listen, Smith... Don't expect me to start following you around and holding your fucking hand around HQ, ever." He sneered, speaking in between labored and shaky breaths. Erwin laughed for a second, interlacing his own fingers and stretching his arms out behind himself. "Are you at least going to stop telling the others I'm a rat that sneaks into your room...?" Levi grinned. "I knew you would hold onto that..." He then hopped off of the desk, shakily getting back to his feet and grabbing the rest of his clothing off of the floor before getting fully dressed. "I'm going to go back to sleep." He announced, looking at Erwin and waiting for a response after he took a few steps away from the desk.</p><p>"So, if it's your room you tell me to leave... and if it's mine you let yourself out as soon as you can...?" A defeated expression crossed Erwin's face. Was Levi not going on about how oh so amazing he was like... three minutes ago? He didn't like the idea of being some overtly public and gushy item with Levi in front of everyone in the survey corps and could tell Levi clearly felt the same way in that regard, yet he was equally opposed to the concept of Levi wanting to completely disassociate with him immediately after sex. Was this really so trivial and meaningless to him that he could just walk away from it and pretend nothing happened the moment it was over?</p><p>"Does that mean you're not coming with...?" Levi arched a brow before tipping his head back a bit and letting his gaze wander away from Erwin, his posture slouching with his hands rested in his pockets as he waited for the other man to react.</p><p>"Huh...-? wait- no I am-!" Erwin collected himself as quickly as possible and did some odd combination of walking and skipping and running as she approached Levi, attempting to embrace the much shorter man from behind, but was quickly stopped as Levi swiveled his head around and glared at him. "..." Erwin slunk back and straightened his posture as he followed Levi out of his office and began to head towards the miniature yet terrifying captains’ own room, his expression beaming at the thought of doing nothing but dozing off for the rest of the day snuggled up against the man nonchalantly walking a few paces in front of him.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>hope you liked :-) let me know any suggestions you might have for a possible part two or other fic suggestions!!! i am an art major so i can take criticism ;-)</p></blockquote></div></div>
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